White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhodium?

[bgray]

If you have a white gold ring can it be dipped in platinum? or paladium?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

I don't know the answer but you wouldn't want palladium, I don't think. Rhodium may be a harder finish and I know it is more shiny (light reflective).

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Thanks-I just bought a white gold bracelet and it arrived covered in tarrnish. Is this normal? It is a wide woven cuff.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

And it is not blackened on purpose, I don't guess???? I think it sounds bizarre and I would maybe send it back if it is a new item. I would also have the metal checked. White gold shouldn't look tarnished unless it is the yellow showing through from wear?????

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

its a palladium alloy so i am very concerned

 

[heididdl]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Thanks-I just bought a white gold bracelet and it arrived covered in tarrnish. Is this normal? It is a wide woven cuff.

If its tarnish it could be sterling is it properly stamped 525 or 14K.......

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Thanks-I just bought a white gold bracelet and it arrived covered in tarrnish. Is this normal? It is a wide woven cuff.

If its tarnish it could be sterling is it properly stamped 525 or 14K.......

its from a very reputable higher end place: it is stamped 750. see pics

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

another--hard to see look closely

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

i am confused as to why it has this grayish oxidation ? /tarnish? they say it will have patina but my understanding is that patina comes with wear. its a new piece of jewelry.

 

[VRBeauty]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

I've had 14k jewelry that discolored over time - I think it just got a film of gunk maybe from exposure to skin, or even to the air... and it cleaned up very nicely in a bath of jewelry cleaner.

I also once bought a "silver" bracelet at a reputable jewelry store that turned out to be brass plated with something - Chrome, I think. I got my money back (not without issue). I later bought an identical bracelet in Ensenada for under $10 with just a wee bit of bargaining.

It looks like this bracelet might have been dipped, and the dip is wearing off on the underside. (I think that's what I'm seeing - the pictures are hard to read because of the reflections.) If you have any concerns about your bracelet, bring it to a good local jeweler for an evaluation. If you bought it locally, bring it back and ask for an explanation. They should at a minimum offer to clean and polish it for you. If it is a question of a radium dip wearing off, see if they'll test the exposed base metal for you and re-dip the piece. If that doesn't resolve the issue, send to a repair specialist (if they don't have one in-house) for an evaluation.

BTW Silver is sometimes treated with an oxidizing agent to "age" a piece, particularly the recessed parts of a design. I've seen new gold jewelry with a similar finish, referred to as "burnishing."

 

[Gypsy]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

That's odd. Maybe Wink or someone with bench experience will chime in.

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

i am so confused: it is supposed to be white gold with palladium alloy. i was told it wasn't plated/dipped (meaning no tarnishing and no dipping)

 

[marymm]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Some 18kt White Gold/Palladium gold I have seen is quite gray in appearance - your pics to me do not show any tarnish as the finish seems even and shiny - it appears that this particular gold/palladium alloy mix is more gray than other gold/palladium alloys. If you are in your return period, just send it back if the color doesn't please you.

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Some 18kt White Gold/Palladium gold I have seen is quite gray in appearance - your pics to me do not show any tarnish as the finish seems even and shiny - it appears that this particular gold/palladium alloy mix is more gray than other gold/palladium alloys. If you are in your return period, just send it back if the color doesn't please you.

thanks but you must not be seeing it clearly. while you have to really look --there are patches of gray "tarnish" with lighter bands near the cross strips. the inside is extremely tarnished. it isnt remotely even.

 

[junebug17]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

I definitely see it, the inside is worse but it's on the outside too - I'm so sorry bgray, I've never seen an 18k piece look like this, particularly a new piece - you've been mentioning the bracelet in other threads, and hopeful that the palladium alloy will keep it white - and then to receive this! I'm upset for you - I wish I had some constructive advice. I'm wondering if a polishing cloth would remove that discoloration. It shouldn't be there in the first place though. Can you return the item. or contact the vendor and exchange it? Hopefully a professional will comment.

 

[canuk-gal]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

HI:

What does Verdura say?

cheers--Sharon

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

It looks rhodium plated to me, to be honest. It is almost like someone tried to rub something on it which discolored it because of the areas that remain whiter chose to where the strips overlap. We do need a jeweler to comment here. But I might try cleaning it just to see what happens.

 

[junebug17]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

It's so strange how it stops in a straight line where the metal crosses - could it be some kind of polishing compound that wasn't buffed off? Totally guessing here - I just looked up the bracelet and there's no tarnishing or patina in the pic - I find it inexcusable that it was sent to you like this, especially considering the price.

 

[VRBeauty]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

It looks rhodium plated to me, to be honest. It is almost like someone tried to rub something on it which discolored it because of the areas that remain whiter chose to where the strips overlap. We do need a jeweler to comment here. But I might try cleaning it just to see what happens.

It looks like some sort of plating to me too. On the underside, it looks as if the plating has worn off where the bracelet might come into contact with your arm, while the parts that wouldn't have regular contact (i.e. where a strip of metal goes up and over another piece) look like they're still nice and shiny. Hence my suggestions above. If it was sold to you as an unplated metal... well, that doesn't seem to jive with what the photos show. Bring it to a jeweler for an evaluation if you need substantiation for your return.

I have heard of some people whose skin reacts to gold - could that be your situation?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

The other reason I think it is rhodium plated is that 18k palladium white gold is not going to be that white unplated. If it was 75% gold, it would have some yellow to it. There is nothing wrong with rhodium plating, of course. I had my WF diamond hoops made in palladium wg because I didn't want the extra weight of platinum in my ears, and they are definitely plated.

Gorgeous bracelet, by the way!

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

thanks everyone: i am horrified. i agonized over this purchase. I was told that Verdura uses palladium so it doesn't need plating or dipping because the palladium keeps it white. it looks like sterling that is slowly tarnishing. it is worse on the inside but is doing it all over. i just received it and have never worn it so it cant be reactivity.

 

[Christina...]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

No way would I be okay with that, especially not from that price point! I'm so sorry bgray, I'm a big fan of their pieces too. I have the Herkimer pendent on my wish list. What is their return policy?

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

thanks all: i am waiting to hear back. supposedly they dont plate their white gold so i am doubly confused

 

[VRBeauty]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Another possibility is that it was previously sold to someone who's skin does react to gold, and then sold to you when she returned it... although that only explains the strange stuff on the underside.

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Another possibility is that it was previously sold to someone who's skin does react to gold, and then sold to you when she returned it... although that only explains the strange stuff on the underside.

i thought the same thing!! and i have made inquiries to other places that sell Verdura and they state that they do not dip or plate their white gold???????

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Okay, it may be unplated. Yssie does have a picture of a band with 18K/palladium alloy that looks pretty white. Not sure how that can be if it is 75% pure gold, but I will concede that if multiple people are saying it is unplated, it must be. It just looked like it had a chrome-like shine in some of the pics, and I suspected it was rhodium.

If you bought it directly from the designer, then I would ask to return it and be sent another one. But I would want to know the cause of the tarnish to be sure it won't eventually happen to the replacement bracelet.

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

Okay, it may be unplated. Yssie does have a picture of a band with 18K/palladium alloy that looks pretty white. Not sure how that can be if it is 75% pure gold, but I will concede that if multiple people are saying it is unplated, it must be. It just looked like it had a chrome-like shine in some of the pics, and I suspected it was rhodium.

If you bought it directly from the designer, then I would ask to return it and be sent another one. But I would want to know the cause of the tarnish to be sure it won't eventually happen to the replacement bracelet.

I am so frustrated: Verdura hasnt been very forthcoming about facts. I cant get a straight answer on plating. First it was no, then not sure. I contacted two other places that sell Verdura as authorized vendors and they state no-its not plated thats why they use palladium.

It is gray and looks just like silver tarnish except the little spaces right next to where the straps cross each other. (The white shiny strips make me think --plated.) Meaning its not just a smooth uniform grayish cast (that would be preferable) to the metal. It looks like tarnish. So would unplated palladium gold look like this tarnished mottled /cloudy gray surface? If that is the case then what good does palladium do?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

I can't figure it out, either. My first thought was maybe something was wrong with the rhodium plating material. But the way it still has the lighter edges, I am thinking that isn't it, especially if they are claiming they don't put rhodium on it. However, the reason I was questioning it was that sales people are not always right about things like that. A lot of times we know more about things like that than they do, although one would wish that high end stores would have very knowledgeable sales people.

I feel like it might be something they polished with, though. That is my only other guess.

Saw this regarding palladium:

"It does not tarnish in air but does tarnish lightly in moist air containing sulfur."

Something else I just read said palladium white gold often has 5-10% silver in it, for what that's worth.

 

[bgray]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

I can't figure it out, either. My first thought was maybe something was wrong with the rhodium plating material. But the way it still has the lighter edges, I am thinking that isn't it, especially if they are claiming they don't put rhodium on it. However, the reason I was questioning it was that sales people are not always right about things like that. A lot of times we know more about things like that than they do, although one would wish that high end stores would have very knowledgeable sales people.

I feel like it might be something they polished with, though. That is my only other guess.

Saw this regarding palladium:

"It does not tarnish in air but does tarnish lightly in moist air containing sulfur."

hmmm. interesting. thank goodness for all of you and this community. You are right- we all often know more than the sales people. I will let you know when I get some answers. They are very accommodating to some degree. Offered to pick up and polish but thats not good enough. I dont want this to happen again. It looks dirty. I would rather get yellow gold which I dont even care for but at least it is inert. Patina is fine but ugly tarnish is not

 

[anthony-roman]

Re: White gold: can you dip plate with anything besides rhod

The new white gold item should not look tarnished. It usually looks tarnished if its dipped in palladium or something, so you should better return it and claim another fresh new piece.